Elmhurst D205 Consultant Didn't Cost As Much As Expected

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst school board member last summer expressed concern over hiring a consultant who would cost up to $40,000.

"I feel like we are going to make some difficult financial decisions coming up in the next few months," member Courtenae Trautmann said at a late June board meeting.

Nonetheless, Trautmann voted with other members for a contract with consultant Mohsin Dada. Dissenting votes are rare.

Mohsin Dada, who was leaving as the assistant superintendent of finance, was to help with the transition to his successor, Joe Blomquist, for a year.

Through a public records request, Patch found that Dada last month billed Elmhurst School District 205 for 57 hours, totaling $11,400. He is paid $200 an hour.

His contract lasts through June, but it appears the transition may be finished. According to his Dec. 22 invoice, Dada last worked for the district three months earlier.

In her comments at last June's meeting, Trautmann did not explain the difficult decisions or provide specifics on the district's finances. She did not return a call for comment at the time.

At the time, District 205 was one of only a handful of 850 districts statewide receiving the state's worst financial rating. Most of the other low-ranking ones were far less wealthy than Elmhurst.

Last fall, though, the district moved to the state's top rating.

Dada served in the interim position for a few months. He replaced former Assistant Superintendent Christopher Whelton, who left amid a controversy over a former official's credit card spending.

Before retiring a few years ago, Dada was the former top finance official for Hinsdale School District 181.